Device for writing for the use of the blind.



, W. L. HEISKELL.

DEVIGE FOR WRITING FOR THE USE OF THE BLIND.

APPLIOATION FILED 00T.l8, 1911.

1,019,789. Patented Mar. 12, 1912.

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NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM L. I-IEISKELL, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

DEVICE FOR WRITING FOR THE USE OF THE BLIND.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WVILLIAM L. HEIsKnLL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Writing for the Use of the Blind, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide a device to be used by blind persons for guiding a pencil used by them, along straight lines when writing, and to permit of the ready formation of those parts of the written characters which extend below the line.

The object, also, is to provide a device wvhich can be set by the blind person using it,

to suit the width and length of the sheet of paper to be written upon, and to provide a device which will arrest the writing operations within the limits thus prescribed.

A further object is to enable the writer to evenly space apart the lines of his manuscript, and also to accurately determine the margin or indentation of lines at the left of his work.

I accomplish the above objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1, is a top plan view of my C0111- plete device. Fig. 2, is a longitudinal section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3, is an elevation looking at the left edge of the device. Fig. 4, is a cross-section on a larger scale, on the line 4.4t of Fig. 1. Fig. 5, is a longitudinal section of the clip for removably securing the paper to be written upon, and shows its adaptation as a pencil holder. Fig. 6, is a fragment showing the lower left corner in elevation, and Fig. 7, is a section through the cord-stretching means.

8 is a board upon which a sheet of paper 9 is placed while being written upon. Secured to the left longitudinal edge of the board 8, is an angle bar 10, preferably of metal, one member of which rests against the edge of the board and the opposite member upon the top of the latter. The thickness of the bar 10, and particularly of its top member, is preferably greater than the thickness of the paper 9, in order to permit a sliding hand plate 11 which rests upon the top member of the bar 10, to slide over the paper 9 without contacting with it. Secured to the opposite or right longitudinal edge of the board 8 is a metal bar 12, the

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 16, 1911.

Patented Mar. 12, 1912.

Serial No. 655,053.

upper edge of which projects above the upper surface of the board 8 for a distance equal to the thickness of the top member of the bar 10, and this projecting edge of the bar 12 and top member of bar 10 form the supports for the hand plate 11. The hand plate 11 will be of any suitable metal and will extend across the board 8 with its support upon bars 10 and 12. That end of the plate 11, which is at the right edge of the board 8, is reinforced and thickened on its lower face as shown at 13, and a groove is formed through this thickened portion to receive the upper edge of the bar 12 and form a guide which will direct the movement of the plate 11. A second angle bar is secured to the left longitudinal edge of the board 8 against the lower member of the angle bar 10, and the upper member 14 of this second angle bar extends inwardly close above the end of plate 11 overlapping the latter to hold it in constant contact with the upper member of bar 10. The top member 14, however is narrower than the corresponding member of bar 10 so as to leave the edge of the top member of bar 10 clearly accessible to the operators fingers to guide him in placing the paper in position against said top member of bar 10 as shown in Fig. 1.

Secured to the right edge of the board 8 and extending laterally of the plate 11 is a channel bar 16 with its open side turned toward the edge of the board. The top member of the channel bar fits closely above and upon the adjacent end of the hand plate 11 to hold that end down. This upper member is provided along the major portion of its inner edge with a series of indentations, here shown as half-round notches 17, which are a distance apart equal to the proposed space between the written lines to be formed upon the paper 9. The width of this top member throughout that portion of it which is provided with the notches 17, is preferably reduced about one-half to allow. for the movement longitudinally of the channel-bar 16 of a post 18 adapted to enter the notches 17 in succession and look the plate 11 to which it is attached. The attachment of the post 18 to the plate 11 is by means of a spring bar 20 which is riveted to the under extension 13 of plate 11, in the manner clearly shown in Fig. 2, and the upper extended end of said spring bar 20 is bent outwardly and bears against the under side of the upper member of channel bar 16, as

shown in Fig. 2, and to this bent end of bar 20, the post 18 is secured. A shoe 21 is slidingly mounted against the lower member of channel bar 16 and carries a spirally wound spring 22 which assists in holding the bar 20 against the underside of the upper mem ber of channel bar 16, and also assists in holding the post 18 in a normal outer position in engagement with one of the notches 17 Formed in the post 18 farther out than where it normally contacts with the channel bar 16, is a recess or notch 23 of sufficient size and depth to permit the high places of the notches 17 to pass without interference, and when it is desired to move the handplate 11, the plate is unlocked by pressing down against the end of post 18 until notch 23 is opposite the channel bar member having notches 17. The plate 11 is then free to be moved longitudinally of the board 8, and can be moved in either direction desired. Usually, however, the plate will be set at or near the top of the board before any writing is done on the sheet of paper, and it will be moved down one notch at a time as the writing progresses, to fill the sheet. The operator soon becomes so familiar with the device that he can determine the position of plate 11, or place it at any desired location of the board 8 by counting the notches from the end where the post 18 at any time is located. Upon the release of post 18 after depression, it is then immediately raised by the springs above described and locks the plate 11 by engagement with one of the notches 17.

The paper sheets 9 will be secured to the board 8 by means of a semi-cylindrical clip 26, which is hinged to the board 8 by means of spring hinges 27, which normally press the clip against the board 8 clamping the end of a sheet of paper placed under it, against said board. A lever extension 28 from the clip is the means by which the clip is opened for the insertion or removal of the paper. The ends of the semi-cylindrical clip-body are closed as shown at 29, in Fig. 5, forming a closed receptacle for the safekeeping of pencil 30 when not in use.

F astened to the left edge of the board 8 is a flattened and longitudinally split tube 32, which forms a slide-way for a carriage 33. Within this slide-way is a shoe 34 having an outwardly extending bolt which passes through the carriage and upon the outer end of which is a milled-nut 35, by tightening which against the carriage the latter will be locked at any desired position of the board 8. The upper end of the carriage is pro vided with an inwardly extending arm 36 which acts as a guide in setting the carriage with relation to the length of the sheet 9 of paper. After the paper has been properly secured against the bar 10 and under clip 26, the carriage is moved until the arm 36 has its upper edge in direct alinement with the lower end of sheet 9, and the carriage is fastened in that position by means of the nut 35. At the lower end of the carriage 33 is an arm 38 which extends inwardly across the bar 14 and terminates with a downwardly bent end 39 which terminates against the plate 10 and serves as a stop to arrest the downward adjustment of the hand-plate 11, by the contacting of the lower edge of plate 11 against the bent end 39 of the arm 38. The distance of the arm 38 from the arm 36 on carriage 33 is so proportioned to the width of the hand plate 11 that when the latter is stopped by contact with the bent end of arm 38 the last written line permitted by hand-plate 11 will be a suitable distance above the lower endof the sheet of paper and the blind operator will thus be prevented from filling the paper too full.

Formed longitudinally of the plate 11 is a slot 40 through which the pencil is operated by the blind person in forming the written characters upon the paper 9, generally, for the sake of convenience, by the use of a pen oil or a stylographic pen. This slot while extending longitudinally of plate 11 is transverse to the board 8 and is long enough to permit the writing therethrough of the longest line permitted by my device. The width of the slot will determine the maximum vertical extension of the individual letters or characters that can be formed, and the horizontal alinement of the letters and characters will be properly indicated to the blind writer by means of a cord 42 of silk, linen, cat-gut, wire, or suitably strong material, extending longitudinally of the slot 42 through the middle of said slot. This cord will be fastened at each end of the slot and will be drawn taut by any suitable means. It will give or bend under pressure such as will be exerted in forming the downward loops of those letters or characters which extend below the line, but will exert sufficient resistance against any deflection from a straight line to indicate by touch to the writer where the line is for the writing, which will coincide with the position of the taut cord.

In applying the cord to the hand plate 11. a knot tied in the end of the cord will be engaged by a pair of knobs 43 mounted at the left end of the slot 40, and a knot in the other end of the cord will be received in a socket formed on the right side of a movable head 44 at the right end of slot 40, said head having a slot in its lower end through which the cord passes, as illustrated in Fig. 7. The plate 11 has an upwardly projecting post 45 through which a bolt 46 passes. This bolt 46 passes through the head 44 and has a nut 47 by which the head is drawn toward the post, thereby stretching the cord 42.

Below the slot 40 in the plate 11 is a parallel slot 50 for the attachment of a sliding indicator 51, which is adapted to be moved longitudinally of slot 50, and crosses the slot 40 forming a stop to arrest the writers pencil and limit the length of the line that can be writ-ten on the sheet of paper. By setting the indicator to suit the width of the paper before the writing is begun the writer will always be notified and kept from writing beyond the limits of the paper. Between the slots 40 and 50 are a seriesof holes 54 which enable the operator to determine at what point he desires to begin to write at the left margin of the sheet and the holes enable him to get the margins uniform on that side and to properly indent his paragraphs.

The operation of my device has been explained as the parts have been described, so that further explanation of its operation and use is deemed unnecessary.

Having thus fully described my invention, What I claim as new and wish to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. In a writing device for the use of the blind, a board upon which paper to be written on is held, a hand-plate extending transversely of the board above the paper and adjustable longitudinally of the board, said plate having a transverse slot through which a pencil is operated in writing on the paper, and a taut cord through the longitudinal middle of the slot in indicate the transverse line upon which the written characters should be formed.

2. In a writing device for the use of the blind, a board upon which paper to be written on is held, a hand-plate extending transversely of the board above the paper and adjustable longitudinally of the board, resilient means for holding the adjustments of the plate, said plate having a transverse slot through which a pencil is operated in writing on the paper, a taut cord through the longitudinal middle of the slot to indicate the transverse line upon which the written characters should be formed, and an indicator crossing the slot to stop the pencil at the end of a line, said indicator being adjustable longitudinally of the slot.

3. In a writing device for the use of the blind, a board upon which paper to be written on is held, a hand-plate extending transversely of the board above the paper and adjustable longitudinally of the board, said plate having a transverse slot through which a pencil is operated in writing on the paper and having a transverse row of physical characters to indicate the distance from the left edge of the sheet, and a taut cord through the longitudinal middle of the slot to indicate the transverse line upon which the written characters should be formed.

4. In a writing device for the use of the blind, a board upon which paper to be written on is held, a spring clip for holding the top edge of the paper comprising a semicylindrical bar with closed ends and spring hinges connecting the upper edge of the bar wit-h the board, a hand-plate adjustable longitudinally of the board, means for holding a given adjustment of the hand-plate, and a taut cord through the longitudinal middle of the slot in the hand-plate to indicate the transverse line upon which the written characters should be formed.

5. In a writing device for the use of the blind, a board upon which paper to be written upon is held, a hand-plate extending transversely of the board above the paper and adjustable longitudinally of the board, said plate having a transverse slot through which a pencil is operated in writing on the paper, a taut cord through the longitudinal middle of the slot to indicate the transverse line upon which the written characters should be formed, and a stop to arrest the downward movement of the plate before the pencil reaches the bottom of the paper, said stop being adjustable longitudinally of the board.

6. In a writing device for the use of the blind, a board upon which the paper to be written on is held, a straight-edge extending longitudinally along the left edge of the board against which the paper is placed, a spring clip at the top of the board for clamping the edge of the paper, a hand-plate extending transversely of the board above the paper and adjustable longitudinally of the board, a spring catch to lock the plate at each adjustment, said plate having a transverse slot through which a pencil is operated in writing on the paper, a taut cord through the longitudinal middle of the slot to indicate the transverse line upon which the written characters should be formed, an indicator extending across and adjustable longitudinally of said slot, characters on the plate to indicate the distance from the left edge of the paper, a carriage adjustable longitudinally of the board said carriage having an indicator whereby the carriage will be set with relation to the bottom edge of the paper, and a stop on said carriage terminating in the path of the hand plate to arrest the latter and prevent writing below the lower end of the paper.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal at Indianapolis, Indiana, this seventh day of October, A. D. one thousand nine hundred and eleven.

WILLIAM L. I-IEISKELL. [1,. s.]

Witnesses F. WV. lVonIzNnR, JOSEPH A. MINTURN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

